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John La Farge – Pioneering American Stained Glass Artist

John La FargeImage: mfa.org

A Chicago, Illinois, real estate executive with a longstanding passion for collecting antique timepieces, Cameel Halim is founder of the Halim Time & Glass Museum. Among the noteworthy Art Nouveau-period works featured at Cameel Halim’s newly opened museum are those by John La Farge, a pioneer of American stained glass.

Forgotten for nearly a century after his death in the early 20th century, La Farge has been rediscovered in recent years for his enduring contribution to the artistry of stained glass. A Boston Globe article brought focus to the major 2015 Boston College exhibit titled John La Farge and the Recovery of the Sacred, which featured 90 works. This included a large-scale, restored triptych created for the Unity Church in Amherst that followed the pattern of the groundbreaking 1883 Trinity Church commission Christ in Majesty.

The Halim Time & Glass Museum features another large-scale La Farge window titled Cornucopia and Wreaths, which was commissioned in the 1880s by Frederick Lathrop Ames, a Boston railroad magnate. The richly hued piece showcases many of the pioneering techniques of the stained glass master, including webbed rippled glass, drapery glass, and confetti glass.

Learn more about the Halim Time & Glass Museum and its collection at HalimMuseum.org.